Shoe sewing machine



Dec. 28, 11943.

C. F. WHITAKER SHOE SEWING MACHINE Filed March 11, 1941 4 Sheets-Sheet l Dec. 28, 1943. C WHITAKER 2,337,631

SHOE SEWING MACHINE Filed March 11, 1941 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Dec. 28, 1943. c. F. WHITAKER SHOE SEWING MACHINE Filed March 11, 1941 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Dec. 28, 1943.

c. F. WHITAKER SHOE SEWING MACHINE Filed- March 11, 1941 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 NEEDLE. vA

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Far-=0 Pazssm F001- LocK Pnassm F001- La FT Patented Dec. 28, 1943 SHOE SEWING MACHINE Carl F. Whitaker, Beverly, Mass, assignor to United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Flemington, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Application March 11, 1941, Serial No. 382,678

27 Claims.

The present invention relates to shoe sewing machines and more particularly to improvements in sewing machines provided with rough rounding or edge trimming cutters of the type disclosed in U. S. Letters Patent of Fred Ashworth No. 2,222,972, of November 26, 1940.

The machine of this patent is a curved hook needle lockstitch shoe sewing machine, having a presser foot and work support between which the work is clamped while being operated upon by the stitch forming devices. The machine is provided with a work piercing awl and a rough rounding cutter connected for operation with the awl. The arrangement is such that the projecting marginal portions of a shoe are trimmed simultaneously with the formation of an outseam. To resist the work piercing stroke of the awl and the trimming stroke of the cutter, the presser foot is locked against movement from the work support and preferably is actuated to exert a squeezing pressure against the work on the work support so that there is no possibility of work displacement during sewing. In stopping the machine at the end of a seam and in starting the machine again in operation, however, the presser foot may not be actuated soon enough to squeeze the work with a sufiiciently heavy pressure and as a result, the work is displaced from pro-per operating position in the machine by the force of the cutter and awl striking the work during the first stitch.

The presser foot of the patented machine is actuated by yielding means towards the work support to engage the upper surface of work placed thereon with a preliminary light pressure whenever the machine is started. Thereafter, the awl and cutter enter the work and the work is fed to bring the awl perforation intoline with the needle. In order to permit the feeding movement of the work, the presser foot is lifted from the work immediately after the awl and cutter enter and released to re-engage the work-with the same original preliminary pressure after the work is fed. The mechanism for actuating the presser foot includes a lock and a cam lever, the lock securing the presser foot in engagement with the work and the cam lever acting through suitable connections to exert the squeezing pressure which is supplemental to the preliminary pressure exerted by the yielding means on the work, It is only during the initial sewing cycle of a seam that the cam lever actuated connections fail to supplement the pressure exerted by the yielding means. To insure against displacement of the work during the first sewing cycle of the machine when employing a rough round ing cutter, it has been the practice heretofore either to exert manually a supplemental work squeezing force on the presser foot actuating mechanism after presenting the Work or to hold the work with more than ordinary force in the machine while starting.

One object of the present invention is to provide a shoe sewing machine having a rough rounding and trimming cutter in which the work will be securely clamped during the first sewing cycle of a seam without requiring the exercise of special precautions on the part of the operator after presenting the work to the machine or necessitating forcibly holding the work in the machine while starting. Other objects are to provide a novel and improved presser foot actuating mechanism for a shoe sewing machine by means of which the work will be clamped more securely during the first stitch of a seam, regardless of whether a rough rounding cutter is employed or not. Still further objects are to improve the construction and manner of operation of a rough rounding cutter for a shoe sewing machine and to render the machine capable of sewing and trimming simultaneously the work operated upon at speeds higher than heretofore employed and with more satisfactory results.

With these and other objects in view, the present invention contemplates the provision in an outso-le shoe sewing machine having a main sewing shaft, e. work support and a presser foot for clamping the work operated upon and a rough rounding cutter acting to trim the edges of the work, of presser foot actuating mechanisms including yielding means, a lock and mechanisms actuated by the sewing shaft for preventing displacement of the work from between the work support and presser foot in advance of the first stroke of the cutter as the machine is started. This feature is embodied in a machine having a work penetrating awl, the rough rounding cutter being connected for actuation with the awl. Preferably, a driving and stopping mechanism also is provided and a supplemental clamping force is exerted on the presser foot to prevent displacement of the work between the position at which the machine is stopped by the driving and stopping mechanism and the position at which the cutter is actuated in each sewing cycle. In the present form of this feature, the presser foot actuating mechanism comprises a cam lever and a cam cut with apresser foot depressing portion to supplement and relieve the clamping pressure on the work,

in addition to the regular work clamping and relieving action of the presser foot heretofore utilized. Thus, the presser foot is actuated twice to apply and relieve the pressure on the work during each sewing cycle, but the additional pressure relieving action does not affect the operation of the machine because no special strain is imparted to the work tending to displace it at the time of pressure relief.

While this feature of the invention is particularly useful in sewing machines arranged to perform a rough rounding operation simultaneously with the sewing, there also is an advantage in the use of an additional application and relief of pressure in a sewing machine of ordinary construction in which no rough rounding or trimming operations occur. In this case, the additional application and relief of pressure on the presser foot prevents displacement of the work by the awl during the first stitch of each seam, which displacement sometimes is troublesome where unusually thick or stiff material is being operated upon.

Other features of the invention relate to novel and improved constructions of the work clamping parts in a sewing and rough rounding machine to prevent the chip trimmed off the edge of the work by a rough rounding cutter from interfering with the operations of the stitch forming devices, to support the chip against the thrust of the cutter without obstructing the manipulation of the shoe, and to reduce the muscular efforts on the part of the operator in presenting the work to the machine.

In the drawings illustrating the invention, Fig. 1 is a view in right side elevation, partially broken away, of the head portion of a shoe sewing machine embodying the features of the present invention; Fig. 2 is a view in left-hand side elevation, broken away and in section, of a portion of the machine head illustrated in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a detail view on a somewhat enlarged scale of a portion of the presser foot actuating mechanism and of the work support; Fig. 4 is a detail plane View of a portion of the Work support indicating the relationship with the edge of the work; Fig. 5 is a View in front elevation of the same portion of the work support, as illustrated in Fig. 4; Fig. 6 is a detail side view of the work support, presser foot, rough rounding cutter and stitch forming devices indicating their operating relationship with the work; Fig. 7 is a detail view in front elevation of the presser foot of the machine; Fig. 8 is a plan view of the presser foot illustrating the operating positions of the awl and rough rounding cutter; Fig. 9 is a detail View of the knife edge end portion formed on the rough rounding cutter; and Fig. 10 is a chart illustrating the timed relations of some of the stitch forming devices and presser foot mechanisms in the machine.

As in the machine of Patent No. 2,222,972, the present machine is arranged simultaneously to perform an outsole stitching operation and a rough rounding or trimming operation on a stltchdown type of shoe, and so far as the stitch forming devices and their operations are concerned, the machine is the same as that disclosed in the patent to Ashworth and the present inventor No. 2,271,611 of February 3, 1942, which is similar in many respects to that in the patent to Ashworth No. 1,169,909 .of February 1, 1916. In the construction of this type of shoe, the work support of the machine is provided with a guide for a welt strip which is led into the seam at a location on the work support where it will be forced into the crevice formed between the flanged outsole supported marginal portion of a shoe upper and the last supported portion of the upper in the shoe.

Referring to Fig. 6 of the drawings, a portion of a shoe being operated upon is shown in section, the outsole of which is indicated at 2, the upper at 1 and the last on which the parts are supported at E. The flanged outsole supported portion of the upper margin and the projecting marginal portion of the outsole are sewed together with a welt strip it, all of which parts are clamped between the work support [2 and the presser foot M of the machine during stitch forming and trimming operations. To insert the seam, the usual stitch forming devices are provided including a curved awl 16, a curved hook needle 53, a shuttle 26, a looper 22 and a thread finger The rough rounding cutter comprises a curved. knife 26 having a sharpened edge at one end and a straight shank at the other end fitting cooperating channels in the awl carrier, indicated at 28 in Fig. 6, and an awl clamping cap piece 362. The awl carrier oscillates about a stud 32 secured in the machine frame, which stud also forms a bearing for a needle carrier 34 of the usual construction.

The presser foot M is actuated by mechanisms fully described in Patent No. 2,271,611 above identified consisting of a lever 36 fulcrumed on a pin 33 secured in a feed carriage it and a link 82 connected at one end with the presser foot lever 3i; and at the other end with a bell crank lever i l which in turn is fulcrumed on a pin 4-6 fixed in the machine frame. The bell crank lever it is also connected by a link 48 with the lower end of a floating lever 5ft connected at its upper end through a link 52 with a cam actuated lever 54 and at a point between its ends with a presser foot lock 55. The cam lever 54 is rotatable on a shaft 57, together with a cam arm 53. The cam arm 58 has a follower engaging a track in a cam 60 on a sewing shaft 62. The mechanism comprising these parts acts during a part of each sewing cycle to relieve the pressure of the presser foot on the work or to raise the presser foot slightly from the work, according to adjustments, and to cause the work to be clamped securely between the work support and the presser foot during the remainder of each sewing cycle by a positive depressing movement produced by cam 6E). To prevent too heavy a clamping pressure to be exerted on the work, the cam arm operates through a spring 54 (see Fig. l), secured between the end of a recess in the lever 54 and the cam arm 58.

In the machine of Patent No. 2,271,611 above referred to, the work is fed a stitch length during each sewing cycle by the movement of the work support and presser foot while clamping the work. For this purpose, the carriage 43, on which the presser foot is fulcrumed and to which the work support is secured, has a pivot shaft 66 (Fig. 2), rotatably mounted in the machine frame.

After the clamping pressure on the work is relieved and while the awl engages the work, the carriage to is actuated to back feed the work support and presser foot through adjustable feeding mechanism indicated generally by the numeral 68. The presser foot is then yieldingly brought against the surface of the work with a light preliminary pressure and the yielding preliminary pressure of the presser foot on the work is then increased by the supplemental clamping action of the actuating mechanism.-

The means for yieldingly bringing the presser foot into contact with the work comprises a link '10 connected between the lower end of the floating lever 50 and a lever l2 mounted. on a fixed stud 14 and acted upon by a tension spring 15. The arrangement is such that after the presser foot has been raised from the Work or the increased supplemental clamping pressure on the work relieved by the presser foot actuating mechanism, the floating lever 59 which, during this time has fulcrumed about the point of connection with the presser foot lock 56, has its fulcrum point changed due to the release of the look. When the presser foot lock is released, the spring l6 which acts through the lower end of the lever causes the lever to swing momentarily about the point of connection with link 52 until contact of the presser foot with the work again occurs. Thereafter, the lock 55 is again locked and the presser foot mechanism, including the floating lever 56 and cam lever 54, acts again to supplement positively the preliminary pressure exerted by the spring it.

The mechanism for locking and unlocking the lock 56 comprises a three-armed lever 78 rotatable in a fixed block 85 forming a housing for the presser foot lock. One arm of the lever '13 acts on looking elements in the lock to cause the slide portion of the lock which is connected to the mid-point of the floating lever 59 to be secured rigidly with the housing or to be released for free relative sliding movement. Another arm of the lever 18 is connected through a link 32 to a cam lever 84 mounted on a shaft 83 and provided with a cam follower engaging a second track in the cam 6%.

In the machine of Patent No. 2,271,611 referred to, the presser foot actuating mechanism and the presser foot lock actuating mechanism are so 1'..- lated and timed that after the back feeding movement of the work support and presser foot occurs, the work is again clamped securely in place with a supplemental pressure, the supplemental pressure being retained until after the work entering stroke of the awl is completed. For this reason, there is no opportunity for the awl to drive the work out of the grip of the work support and presser foot and a uniform and unvarying feed occurs during sewing. When the machine is brought to rest, however, a driving and stopping mechanism in the machine unlocks the lock 56 and raises the presser foot a substantial distance from the work support, as indicated in Fig. 1, releasing the work. There-- after, when a new work piece is presented to the machine, the only force available to clamp the work in place before the first work penetrating strokes of the needle and awl is exerted by the spring l6. In some instances, the force of this spring is not sufficient .to clamp the work securely in place and it is necessary for the operator to exercise special precautions during the formation of the first stitch as the machine is started to prevent work displacement. There are also provided in the machine connections for manually unlocking the presser foot lock 55 and raising the presser foot from the work, regardless of the action of the driving and stopping mechanism. When the manually actuated connections are operated, insufficient clamping pressure is likely to occur during the succeeding awl penetrating stroke. With the use or" a rough rounding cutter acting with the awl, the tendency to displace the work during the first stitch of a seam after the presser foot has been unlocked is greatly increased so that it is practically impossible for the operator to hold the work forcibly in place and it is necessary to employ some expedient for supplementing the preliminary yielding pressure of the presser foot on the work before the machine is started by manipulating the mechanical parts of the machine in a manner not intended.

To insure that an adequate clamping pressure will be exerted on the work by the presser foot both during subsequent sewing operations and during the first sewing cycle of a seam, according to the present invention, the track in cam 6d with which the cam arm 58 cooperates is formed to exert a supplemental clamping pres: sure on the presser foot in addition to the preliminary pressure exerted by the spring 16 between the stopped position of the machine and the time that the awl and cutter enter the work. As indicated in the diagram of Fig. 10 by the line E, the cam track for exerting a clamping force and relieving the force on the presser foot actuating mechanism is formed with a presser foot depressing portion 88 beginning at stopped position of the machine and terminating substantially at the time that the awl and cutter enter the work illustrated in line B where it rises above the table line. The force exerted by the depressing portion 83 is suflicient to cause the presser foot to grip the Work securely in place. After the awl and cutter have entered the work, this pressure is relieved or the presser foot lifted entirely from contact with the work according to adjustments. Lifting the presser foot from the work at this time permits the work support and presser foot to be back fed without exerting a back feeding effort on the work, after which the presser foot lock is unlocked briefly beginning at approximately 90 of sewing shaft rotation, as illustrated by the line D, to permit the presser foot again to engage the work yieldingly with a preliminary pressure. The preliminary pressure on the work is then supplemented by a positive depressing portion 89 of the track at the usual time in the sewing cycle. Thereafter, the supplemental pressure of the presser foot on the work is retained until the end of the sewing cycle is substantially reached. At this time, the supplemental pressure on the presser foot is relieved in order that it may be re-applied at the beginning of the sewing cycle by the depressing portion 88. The interval at the stopping and starting position of the machine when the pressure is relieved is so short that it permits no opportunity for the work to become displaced during sewing.

The stopping position of the machine is the same as that usually chosen in an outsole titcher, it being necessary for the needle and awl to be out of enga spent with the work and the awl about to enter the work in order that the needle will not engage the work and become broken beiore the awl has had an opportunity to form a perforation for receiving the needle. The timing of the needle with respect to the awl is inby the line A. The presser foot depressing portion $53 of the cam track E occurs after needle has penetrated the work so that during withdrawal of the needle, the Work is clamped securely. After theneedle is withdrawn from the work around 186 of sewing shaft rotation, it is impracticable to provide a stopping point for the machine because the loop of thread carried through the work by the needle is at this time retained by the huttle. While the needle loop is retained by the shuttle, the work can not be withdrawn from the machine so that this is an undesirable stopping position. Also, others of the stitch forming devices in the machine are in positions which would render the removal or replacement of the work inconvenient at any but the stopped position of the sewing cycle illustrated in the diagram of this figure. With the stopped position thus illustrated and described, it is necessary to form a presser foot actuating track in cam so with the two presser foot depressing portions 88 and 93, since it is impractical to stop the machine at such a position that the preliminary pressure of the presser foot on the work will be supplemented during the first stitch of a new seam with a single presser foot depressing portion on the cam.

The driving and stopping mechanism for the machine include a main driving clutch (not shown), a treadie control rod 52 (Fig. 2), a cam arm 94 to which the control rod is connected, a follower 95 connected to a spring-actuated lock bolt 98 slidingiy mounted in a carrier mo and arranged to engage a vibrating lever tea to cause the machine to be brought to rest at the stopped position indicated by 0 in Fig. 10. To unlock and raise the presser foot, a lever [04 normally held in an inoperative position during sewing operations is moved into the path of a cam I06 when the lock bolt 98 becomes effective. As the sewing shaft 62 on which the cam N36 is secured continues to rotate during the last sewing cycle, the lever IE4 is moved outwardly and acts through connections more fully described in Patents Nos. 1,169,909 and 2,271,611 to rock an arm I01 secured to one end of a shaft m8 having fixed to its other end an arm H9 connected through a link l 52 to a lever i H! loosely mounted on a shaft 1'4. The lever lie is formed with a surface engaging a roll on an elbow lever H6, one arm of which is provided with a set screw H8 arranged to engage one end of the link 82 of the presser foot lock actuating mechanism. The lever lid also has a set screw which engages a projection on the lever l2 after the presser foot lock is unlocked, causing the presser foot to be raised from engagement with the work through the link if! and other connections previously referred to. To raise the presser foot from the work manually, there is mounted at the front of the machine a hand lever i 28 (see Fig. 1) having a bar E22 arranged to engage a roll carried by one arm of the unlocking lever 18 and having a surface which, when brought against a roll I23 on the presser foot lever 35, causes the lever to be raised'and the work released.

To enable the rough rounding cutter to be adjusted close to the seam line, the presser foot IQ of the present machine is formed with awl and cutter receiving recesses E24 and I26 respectively (see Fig. 8), which are joined together, leaving the entire space between the awl and cutter open. The presser foot is provided with a work clamping ledge I28 along its forward edge and outside the circular path of the cutter. The presser foot is also provided with a bar portion I30 which acts inside the circular path of the cutter to support the chip trimmed off the edge of the work against the upward thrust of the cutter.

In order to provide means along the work engaging surface of the presser foot which will act as a turning point about which the work may move as a center when curved outlines are being sewed and trimmed as in the case of a stitchdown shoe, the ledge I28 bulges somewhat below the other work engaging surfaces of the presser foot and exerts its greatest pressure at a location substantially opposite the point of operation of the needle and awl. The shape of this ledge with its central bulging portion is more clearly indicated in Fig. 7 of the drawings.

As the work is trimmed by the cutter, the chip trimmed from the edge, unles special precautions are taken, may drop downwardly so that it will interfere with the operations of the looper and thread finger or obstruct the feeding movements of the work through the machine. To avoid difiiculty with the chip cut off the edge of the work, the work support has a, shelf I32 extending rearwardly at right angles to the line of feed and having the right edge of its upper surface inclined upwardly in the direction of feed to direct the chip out of the range of the stitch forming devices in the direction of movement of the work. This shelf is best illustrated in Fig. 4, the chip being indicated at B34 in dot-dash outline and the trimmed edge of the work at I38.

On account of the wedging action at the knife edge on the cutter and because of the necessary thickness of the cutter shank, there is a tendency to tear a portion of the materials 0perated upon slightly in advance of the cutter during each cutting stroke. As a result, each operation of cutter produces a step-like surface so that the edge trimmed presents a rough unfinished appearance. In order to avoid a rough appearance on the trimmed edge of the work, the knife edge of the cutter is inclined to the line of feed, indicated by the arrow 38 of Fig. 4, at an angle approaching the seam line in the direction of feed. By inclining the knife edge of the cutter in this way at the proper angle, all of the step-like projections formed by the cutter will appear on the chip which is discarded and the trimmed edge of the work Will be straight and substantially smooth. This is because each torn portion of the work in advance of the cutter is severed smoothly in front of the torn portion on the edge of the work during the succeeding cutter stroke, leaving the torn portion entirely on the chip cut off.

While, for most purposes, an extremely slight inclination of the cutter edge is sufi'icient when sewing and trimming the projecting marginal portions of a stitchdown outsole and upper, it is desirable to present the shoe itself with the edge at a slight angle to the feed line of the machine, as indicated in Fig. 4. The purpose of this angular position is to insure that the welt it will be pressed firmly into the crease formed by the outsole. Having presented the shoe at an angle to the line of feed, it is necessary, in order to obtain a smooth out along the trimmed edge, to incline the knife edge of the cutter an additional amount corresponding to the angle at which the work is presented. In the present machine, an inclination of the cutter edge to the line of feed of approximately 5 has been found to produce the best results.

In order to force the welt strip ill, together with the upper, firmly into the crevice formed by the outsole on the last 8, the work support I2 is provided with a shoulder Hill. The shoulder Mil is located in a position where it will back the welt strip and resist the pressure exerted by the shoe upper during sewing. The shoulder does not extend substantially beyond the point of operation of the needle and awl, and the work engaging surface of the presser foot is cut away opposite to the shoulder by forming suitable recesses, as has been described. At the rear of the shoulder use, the work support is recessed to form a surface inclined to the line of feed at the same angle as that at the edge on the cutter so that the pressure of the shoulder Mil on the work secures it firmly adjacent the point penetrated by the cutter.

For reducing the shock on the work and the strain on the presser foot, particularly during the first stroke of the cutter, as the knife edge enters the work, the edge of the cutter, in addition to being inclined to the line of feed, is also inclined to the surface of the work in such a way that the end of the cutting edge which extends in the direction of feed engages the work first. By arranging the knife edge of the cutter in this manner, there is little, if any, likelihood of the cutter driving the Work forwardly in the direction of feed to increase the length of the stitches during sewing operations.

The nature and scope of the invention having been indicated, and a construction embodying the several features of the invention having been specifically described, what is claimed is:

1. An outsole shoe sewing machine having, in combination, a sewing shaft, stitch forming devices including a needle, a cutter acting to trim the edge of an outsole during formation of a seam, a work support, a presser foot, mechanisms actuated by the sewing shaft including yielding means for bringing the presser foot against the work with a preliminary clamping pressure, a lock for preventing release of the clamping pressure on the work, and means acting in said mechanisms during the first work trimming stroke of the cutter in a new seam to supplement the preliminary work clamping force on the presser foot.

2. An outsole shoe sewing machine having, in combination, a sewing shaft, stitch forming devices including a needle, a cutter acting to trim the edge of an outsole during formation of a seam, a work support, a presser foot, mechanisms actuated by the sewing shaft including a presser foot lock, means acting after each work trimming stroke of the cutter to release the lock, yielding means for bringing the presser foot against the work with a preliminary pressure after the lock is released, and means acting in said mechanisms during the first Work trimming stroke of the cutter in a new seam to supplement the action of the yielding means.

3. An outsole shoe sewing machine having, in combination, a sewing shaft, stitch forming devices including a needle and an awl, a Work support, a presser foot for clamping the work against the work support, mechanisms actuated by the sewing shaft including a presser foot lock, means acting after the work penetrating stroke of the awl in each sewing cycle to release the lock, yielding means for bringing the presser foot against the work with a preliminary clamping pressure after the lock is released, and means acting in said mechanisms in advance of the first work penetrating stroke of the awl in a new seam to supplement the action of the yielding means.

4. An outsole shoe sewing machine having, in combination, a sewing shaft, stitch forming devices including a needle and an awl, a cutter connected with the awl to trim the edge of the work during formation of a seam, a work support, a presser foot for clamping the work against the work support, yielding means for forcing the presser foot against the work, and mechanisms for actuating the presser foot in advance of the first work entering stroke of the awl and cutter as the machine is started to supplement the force exerted by the yielding means.

5. An outsole shoe sewing machine having, in combination, a sewing shaft, stitch forming devices including a needle, a cutter acting to trim the edge of the work during formation of a seam, a work support, presser foot for clamping the work against the work support, yielding means for forcing the presser foot against the work, driving and stopping mechanisms for bringing the sewing shaft to rest at the end of a seam with the stitch forming devices and presser foot free of the work and with the cutter about to enter the work, and mechanisms acting between stopped position of the machine and in advance of the first work entering stroke of the cutter to supplement the clamping force exerted by the yeiding means on the presser foot.

6. An outsole shoe sewing machine having, in combination, a sewing shaft, stitch forming devices including a needle and an awl, an awl carrier, a cutter on the awl carrier for trimming an outsole during formation of an outseam, a work support at the side of the work with the awl and cutter, a presser foot for holding the work against the thrust of the awl and cutter, yielding means for forcing the presser foot against the work, driving and stopping mechanisms for bringing the sewing shaft to rest at the end of a seam with the stitch forming devices and presser foot free of the work and with the awl and cutter about to enter the work, and mechanism for actuating the presser foot comprising a cam lever and a cam cut with a depressing portion to supplement the pressure on the work exerted by the yielding means in advance of the first work entering strokes of the awl and cutter in a new seam, and to relieve the pressure of the presser foot on the work after the awl and cutter have entered the work.

7. An outsole shoe sewing machine having, in combination, a sewing shaft, stitch forming devices including a needle and an awl, a cutter connected with the awl to trim the edge of the work during formation of a seam, a work support, a presser foot for clamping the work against the work support, yielding means for forcing the presser foot against the work, and means for actuating the presser foot from the sewing shaft to supplement the pressure exerted by the yielding means and to relieve the pressure on the work twice during each sewing cycle.

8. An outsole shoe sewing machine having, in combination, a sewing shaft, stitch forming devices inciuding a needle and an awl, a cutter connected with the awl to trim the edge of the work during formation of a seam, a work support, a presser foot for clamping the work against the work support, yielding means for forcing the presser foot against the work, means for actuating the presser foot and work support to feed the work, and mechanism for actuating the presser foot to supplement the pressure exerted on the work by the yielding means in advance of the first stroke of the cutter in a new seam and again after the back feeding movement of the work support and presser foot has been completed during the first sewing cycle of the seam.

9. An outsole shoe sewing machine having, in combination, a sewing shaft, stitch forming devices including a curved hook needle, a curved awl, an awl carrier, a cutter on the awl carrier for trimming an outsole during formation of an outseam, a work support at the side of the work with the awl and cutter, driving and stopping mechanisms for bringing the sewing shaft to rest at the end of a seam with the stitch forming devices and presser foot free of the work and with the awl and cutter about to penetrate the work, and mechanism for actuating the presser foot to exert a pressure on the Work during the first work penetrating strokes of the awl and cutter in a new seam and again after the needle has penetrated the work during the first sewing cycle of the seam.

10. An outsole shoe sewing machine having, in combination, a sewing shaft, stitch forming devices including a needle and an awl, an awl carrier, an adiustably mounted cutter on the awl carrier for trimming an outsole during formation of an outseam, a work support at the side of the work with the awl and cutter, and a presser foot having recesses along its work engaging surface to receive the awl and cutter, the recess for the awl joining the recess for the cutter to permit adjustment of the cutter towards the awl without restriction.

11. An outsole shoe sewing machine having, in combination, a sewing shaft, stitch forming devices including a needle and an awl, an awl carrier, a cutter on the awl carrier for trimming an outsole during formation of an outseam, a Work support at the side of the work with the awl and cutter, and a presser foot having inter-connected recesses along its work engaging surface to receive the awl and cutter, and a bar portion extending along the surface of the work outside the paths of the awl and cutter to hold the work from displacement during the triming stroke of the cutter.

12. An outsole shoe sewing machine having, in combination, a sewing shaft, stitch forming de- Vices including a needle and an awl, an awl carrier, a cutter on the awl carrier for trimming an outsole during formation of an outseam, a work support at the side of the work with the awl and cutter, and a presser foot having recesses to receive the awl and cutter and a work engaging surface shaped to exert a concentrated pressure on the Work at a location substantially opposite the point of operation of the stitch forming devices.

13. An outsoleshoe sewing machine having, in combination, a sewing shaft, stitch forming devices including an awl, a work support at the side of the Work with the awl, a presser foot for clamping the Work against the work support, yielding means for bringing the presser foot against the work with a preliminary pressure, means for actuating the work support and presser foot from the sewing shaft to feed the work while clamped, driving and stopping mechanisms for bringing the sewing shaft to rest at the end of a seam with the stitch forming devices clear of the work and with the awl about to enter the work, and mechanism for actuating the presser foot to supplement the pressure exerted on the work by the yielding means before the awl penetrates the work, and again after the awl is withdrawn from the work during each sewing cycle.

14:. An outsole shoe sewing machine having, in combination, a sewing shaft, stitch forming devices including an awl, a work support at the side of the work with the awl, a presser foot for clamping the work against the work support, yielding means for bringing the presser foot against the work with a preliminary pressure,

means for actuating the work support and presser foot from the sewing shaft to feed the work while clamped and to back feed while the awl engages the work, driving and stopping mechanisms for bringing the sewing shaft to rest at the end of a seam with the stitch forming devices clear of the work and with the awl about to enter the Work, and mechanism for actuating the presser foot to supplement the pressure exerted on the Work by the yielding means, to release the pressure on the work during back feed of the work support and presser foot and to again supplement the pressure of the yielding means on the work during each sewing cycle.

15. An outsole shoe sewing machine having, in combination, a sewing shaft, stitch forming devices including a needle and an awl, a work support at the side of the work with the awl, a presser foot for clamping the work against the Work support, yielding means for bringing the presser foot against the work with a preliminary pressure, means for actuating the work support and presser foot from the sewing shaft to feed the work while clamped, driving and stopping mechanisms for bringing the sewing shaft to rest at the end of a seam with the stitch forming devices clear of the work and with the awl about to enter the work, mechanism for actuating the presser foot to supplement the pressure exerted on the work by the yielding means before the first work penetrating stroke of the awl in a new seam and again after the needle has penetrated the work during the first sewing cycle.

16. An outsole shoe sewing machine having, in combination, a sewing shaft, stitch forming devices including a needle and an awl, a work support atthe side of the work with the awl, a presser foot, a presser foot lock, yielding means for moving the presser foot against the work when the lock is released, driving and stopping mechanisms for bringing the machine to rest in convenient stopped position with the awl about to enter the work, means for unlocking the lock, raising the presser foot against the force of the yielding means to release the work at the end of a seam and for holding the presser foot unlocked,

' sure than exerted by the yielding means before the awl enters the work and again after theawl withdraws from the work in each sewing cycle to prevent movement of the work during the work entering stroke of the awl.

17. An outsole shoe sewing machine having, in combination, a sewing shaft, stitch forming devices including a needle and an awl, a work support at the side of the work with the awl, a presser foot, mechanism for actuating the presser foot comprising yielding means for engaging the presser foot with the work, a cam actuated member, a floating lever connected at one point with the cam member and at another point to the presser foot, a lock connected with a third point on the floating lever to cause the lever to fulcrum about the point of lock connection when the cam member is actuated, means driven from the sewing shaft for actuating the lock while the cam member holds the presser foot away from the Work and for releasing the lock to cause the yield-.

ing means to bring the presser foot against the work, driving and stopping mechanisms for bringing the machine to rest in a convenient stopped position with the awl about to enter the work, means for unlocking the lock, raising the presser foot against the force of the yielding means to release the work and for holding the presser foot lock unlocked, connections actuated upon starting the machine in operation for causing the presser foot to re-engage the work under the force of the yielding means and for locking the presser foot lock, and a cam on the sewing shaft for actuating the cam member shaped to cause the presser foot to clamp the work with greater force than exerted by the yielding means between stopped position of the sewing shaft and the time the awl enters the work during the first sewing cycle of a seam and also after the awl has withdrawn from the work.

18. An outsole shoe sewing machine having, in combination, a sewing shaft, stitch forming devices including a needle and an awl, carriers for the needle and awl, a cutter on one of the carriers for trimming the edge of the work during formation of a seam, a work support, a presser foot acting with the work support to clamp the work, and a shelf on one of the work clamping members for supporting the chip trimmed from the edge of the work and for preventing interference of the chip with the operating parts of the machine.

19. An outsole shoe sewing machine having, in combination, a sewing shaft, stitch forming devices including a needle and an awl, carriers for the needle and awl, a cutter on the awl carrier for trimming the edge of the work during formation of a seam, a work support, a presser foot acting with the work support to clamp the work, and a shelf on the work support for supporting the chip trimmed from the edge of the work and preventing interference of the chip with the operating parts of the machine.

28. An outsole shoe sewing machine having, in combination, a sewing shaft, stitch forming devices actuated by the sewing shaft including a needle and an awl, a work support and a presser foot actuated to clamp and feed the work, carriers for the needle and awl, and a cutter on one of the carriers for trimming the edge of the work during formation of a seam constructed and arranged with a cutting edge at an inclination to the line of feed approaching the seam line in the direction of feed.

21. An outsole shoe sewing machine having, in combination, a sewing shaft, stitch forming and work feeding devices actuated by the sewing shaft including a needle and an awl, carriers for the needle and awl, a work support, a stitchdown welt guide on the work support, a shoulder on the work support for backing one edge of the welt to force it into the crease between the last supported surface and the outsole supported surface of a stitchdown shoe upper, a cutter on one of the carrier for trimming the edge of the outsole during formation of an outseam outside the welt and welt supporting shoulder on the work support, and a presser foot having its work clamping surface cut away opposite the shoulder on the work support at the seam side of the cutter.

22. An outsole shoe sewing machine having, in combination, a sewing shaft, stitch forming and work feeding devices actuated by the sewing shaft including a needle and an awl, carriers for the needle and awl, a work support, a stitchdown welt guide on the work support, a shoulder on the work support for backing one edge of the welt to force it into the crease between the last supported surface and the outsole supported surface of a stitchdown shoe upper, a presser foot having its work clamping surface cut away opposite the shoulder on the work support at the seam side of the needle and awl, a cutter on one of the carriers for trimming the edge of the outsole during formation of an outseam outside the welt and welt supporting shoulder on the work support, and a bar on the presser foot for supporting the chip trimmed from the edge of the outsole against the thrust of the cutter.

23. An outsole shoe sewing machine having, in combination, a sewing shaft, stitch forming and work feeding devices actuated by the sewing shaft including a needle and an awl, carriers for the needle and awl, a work support, a stitchdown welt guide on the work support, a shoulder on the work support for backing one edge of the welt to force it into the crease between the last supported surface and the outsole supported surface of a stitchdown shoe upper, a presser foot having its work clamping surface cut away opposite the shoulder on the work support at the seam side of the needle and awl, and a cutter on one of the carriers for trimming the edge of an outsole during formation of an outseam constructed and arranged with a cutting edge at an inclination to the line of feed approaching the seam line in the direction of feed.

24. An outsole shoe sewing machine having, in combination, a sewing shaft, stitch forming and work feeding devices actuated by the sewing shaft including a needle and an awl, carriers for the needle and awl, a work support, a stitchdown welt guide on the work support, a shoulder on the work support for backing one edge of the welt to force it into the crease between the last supported surface and the outsole supported surface of a stitchdown shoe upper, a presser foot having its work clamping surface cut away opposite the shoulder on the work support at the seam side of the needle and awl, a cutter on one of the carriers for trimming the edge of an outsole during formation of an outseam constructed and arranged with a cutting edge at an inclination to the line of feed approaching the seam line in the direction of feed, and a clamping surface on the work support close to the cutter provided with an edge having an inclination to the line of feed corresponding with the inclination of the cutter edge.

25. An outsole shoe sewing machine having, in combination, a sewing shaft, stitch forming and work feeding devices actuated by the sewing shaft including a needle and an awl, carriers for the needle and awl, a work support, a stitchdown welt guide on the work support, a shoulder on the work support for backing one edge of the welt to force it into the crease between the last supported surface and the outsole supported surface of a stitchdown shoe upper, a presser foot having its work clamping surface cut away opposite the shoulder on the work support at the seam side of the needle and awl, and a cutter on one of the carriers for trimming the edge of an outsole during formation of an outseam constructed and arranged with a cutting edge at an inclination to the surface of the work at such an angle that the end of the cutting edge which extends in the direction of feed first engages the work.

26. An outsole shoe sewing machine having, in

combination, a sewing shaft, stitch forming devices including a needle and an awl, a work support at the side of the work with the awl, a presser foot for clamping the work against the work support, yielding means for bringing the presser foot against the work with a preliminary pressure during each sewing cycle, driving and stopping mechanisms for bringing the sewing shaft to rest at the end of a seam with the stitch forming devices and presser foot clear of the work and with the awl about to enter the work, and means for increasing the preliminary pressure of the presser foot on the work before the first work penetrating stroke of the awl occurs in a new seam.

27. An outsole shoe sewing machine having, in combination, a sewing shaft, stitch forming devices including a needle, a work support, a presser foot for clamping the work against the work support, means for actuating the work support and presser foot to feed the work, and mechanisms actuated by the sewing shaft including a presser foot lock, means acting after the work feeding movement of the work support and presser foot in each sewing cycle to release the lock, yielding means for bringing the presser foot against the Work with a preliminary clamping pressure after the lock is released, and a cam on the sewing shaft having a presser foot depressing portion acting as the machine is started before the feeding movement of the work occurs to supplement the Work clamping force exerted by the yielding means on the presser foot.

CARL F. WHITAKER. 

